This invention relates to the art of textile applicator thread guides and more particularly to the art of a guide which enables spinneret produced filaments, such as nylon, rayon or fiberglass, to be given a protective coating prior to twisting into larger strands.
Applicator guides in the prior art are V-shaped pieces whose flared outer arms direct filaments over a small spray outlet in the base of the guide. As the filaments pass over the spray outlet, a protective finish is applied to the filament. Without the protective finish, the filament is unusable.
A disadvantage of current guides is the tendency for the filaments to slip out of the guide arms. When this occurs, the event is often not detected immediately. As a result, the uncoated filaments are further processed into larger strands. If these larger strands with uncoated filaments are incorporated into a finished product, the product in unusable. As a result, a costly finished product may be ruined by an untreated filament which slipped out of position of the Applicant's guide arms.
Efforts to enclose the thread guides to prevent the filaments from slipping have not met with success. Enclosures require that the filaments be manually threaded rather than slipped into position, adding to the labor costs and equipment down time. Enclosed filament guides also prevent visual monitoring of the coating process. Further, some enclosed filament guides within the existing art are difficult to manufacture from ceramic, the preferred material of choice for long-wearing thread guides.
To date, there has been no effective way to provide a long wearing filament guide which prevents slippage of the filaments from the guide yet still provides for filament placement into the guide along with visual monitoring of the coating process. Therefore, much room for improvement in the art exists.